Curious Victims
by LittleMissAverage
Summary: "C'mon, where's your sense of adventure?" she teased, pushing open the door slightly. The girl's friend sighed and, with much reluctance, followed her inside. It was dark, with stairs leading down to who-knows-where. "This is a bad idea," the girl's friend whispered. "We'll be fine!" she chirped. But you never say those words in a situation like this, because you're never fine.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: The Question Of "Where Are We"

Tears filled her eyes and threatened to pour down her face as she helplessly watched the events in front of her unfold. Voices were yelling, screaming, crying all around her, but it she couldn't seem to find her own feeble voice. She backed away from this... _thing _her friend had turned into. Why? Why was this happening? _Stop, _she mentally pleaded, _stop this, please! _She turned to run, but as she did so, the malicious person causing this terror grabbed her wrist with a devious smirk.

"Goodbye," he hissed in her ear.

The girl tensed up and waited for her inevitable fate, unanswered questions of "why" echoing in her head.

* * *

_*A few weeks earlier...*_

A girl with long light brown hair sighed as she gazed up at the school she would attend one day. Eiko Fukuda, age thirteen, soon-to-be eighth-grader, was this girl.

"Eiko-chan~!"

She turned at toward the familiar voice, only to see a girl with medium-length dark brown hair running toward her. This girl, Jitsumi Anzai, age thirteen, also an almost-eighth-grader, was Eiko's best friend since they began middle school.

"Sorry I'm late, Eiko," Jitsumi apologized with a slight laugh once she reached her friend.

"Don't worry about it, I've only been here for what? Five minutes, maybe?" Eiko responded offhandedly.

"Well, let's go in," Jitsumi suggested.

The two friends entered the high school they would attend after eighth grade and began to explore. They chattered excitedly about what they had been doing throughout summer, how they wondered if they'd have classes together this year as well, and other common things for conversation.

"Where are your parents, Jitsumi-chan?" Eiko asked.

"They're with my cousin, since he's going into his second year here," Jitsumi explained. "What about yours?"

Eiko shrugged. "I walked here, you know, because I live like ten minutes away. I told them I'd be back before dinner."

"I wish I had easy-going parents like yours," Jitsumi pouted.

"Trust me, they're not 'easy-going'. It took me all day to convince them to let me go by myself," Eiko objected.

They both laughed a little at this. It was true, both of them had somewhat-strict parents, though Eiko's were known to be at least a bit less uptight.

"Hey, what's over there?" Eiko pointed over to a door hidden beneath a staircase.

"Hmm? I've never seen that before," Jitsumi commented.

The two girls approached the door with curiosity, only to find a sign saying "off-limits, do not enter" plastered on it.

"I think we should listen to the sign..." Jitsumi muttered, but her friend had other plans.

Eiko, who was already pushing open the surprisingly unlocked door, glanced over at her. "You're such a scaredy-cat, Sumi. C'mon, where's your sense of adventure?"

Jitsumi sighed after hearing the nickname that only Eiko called her, and, with much reluctance, she followed her best friend inside. It was dark, to say the least, and there were stairs leading down to who-knows-where.

"Eiko, this is a bad idea. What if someone finds us and we get in serious trouble?" Jitsumi whispered through the darkness.

"We'll be fine! Stop worrying about every little thing, Sumi!" Eiko chirped while skipping down the steps.

Yes, skipping. _She's treating this like we're on a walk through the park, _Jitsumi thought with a slight frown. Though, she had no choice but to follow her friend. There was no turning back now, right? When they finally reached the bottom of the steps, it was an understatement to say they were surprised by what they found.

"What _is _this place?!" Eiko exclaimed.

They were standing in what appeared to be a maze of corridors and halls that shone a polished, pristine white like they were from a hospital. Jitsumi tugged on the sleeve of Eiko's white T-shirt with a slightly frightened expression.

"This is weird, I've never seen a school with something like this! C'mon, Eiko, let's get out of here," she stated.

"No, this is interesting! You can leave, but I'm not," Eiko replied, shaking her friend off.

Jitsumi frowned. "I don't trust you by yourself."

"Same goes for you," Eiko chuckled before dashing off toward one of the hall's entrances.

"Eiko, wait up!" Jitsumi called, quickly dashing in the direction her friend had gone.

Loud, pounding footsteps resonated throughout the corridors, along with the bubbly laughter of Eiko and the nervous chuckles of Jitsumi. After a while of running through the halls, they stumbled upon a place that appeared to be a laboratory. They stopped in their tracks and stared at the strange equipment around them, eyes wide with curiosity and some apprehension.

"E-Eiko," Jitsumi began timidly.

"I have no idea," Eiko answered the unasked question of "where are we".

"Now I really think we should go," Jitsumi pointed out.

Eiko nodded slowly. "Yeah... That might be a good idea."

Though, before they could even turn around to head back, a masculine voice rang out.

"You shouldn't be down here, children," the voice snickered with a dark undertone.

Eiko froze in fear, and Jitsumi clutched to her best friend as if she were her lifeline. Suddenly, that vice grip on her arm vanished, and Eiko was filled with more worry than fear. Mustering enough courage to speak, she called out a shaky, "Jitsumi?" Slowly, she turned around, yet she never even caught a glimpse of who the mysterious person was before her vision turned to black.

* * *

**A/N: Hi everyone! This is my first multi-chapter fanfic for this fandom, so please let me know what you think! Did I do a good job with the OCs? Is it overall okay? PLEASE let me know, I love both compliments and constructive criticism! Thanks for reading and...**

**Have an amazing day/night/whatever~**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Surely It's A Dream

When Eiko opened her eyes, she saw that she was no longer in that strange place beneath the school, and instead was in an even stranger place. _It's like a dream, _she thought to herself as she sat up, _so I must be dreaming, right? _With that logic, she decided to get up and search her surroundings. This place she had entered was unlike anything she had ever seen. It was as if time was nonexistent here, for nothing moved yet everything floated above the ground that just wasn't there. _How am I supposed to cross this gap, _she wondered while standing on the edge of the platform she had awoken on. Just as she was about to try the only option she could think of (jumping and praying that there was no gravity in the open spaces), someone spoke up from behind her.

"It's been a while since anyone was brought here," a feminine voice stated with a hint of sorrow.

Unlike the voice the two best friends had heard in the lab, this voice sounded caring and sweet with the feeling of loneliness and sadness mixed in. Eiko whirled around to face this person, now revealed to be a teenage girl clad in a black school uniform and a fluttering red scarf.

"Wh-Who are you?" Eiko stammered.

The other girl only shook her head slightly. "That's not important right now. You're worried about your friend, correct?"

"What? Is Jitsumi here too?" Eiko asked quickly.

"Hmm..." the unnamed girl began thoughtfully. "Ah, gomen*, but I'm afraid I can't tell you that... Though, I really do wish I could help you."

"Can you at least tell me where I am?" Eiko questioned.

"You're in a place that I'll never be able to leave... the Heat Haze," the scarf-girl answered quietly.

"Heat Haze?" Eiko echoed confusedly.

The mystery girl nodded once again, but said nothing. Eiko looked around herself for the second time to try to understand the meaning behind this name, since this place was neither hot nor hazy; yet when she veered her gaze back to where the other girl should've been, she was replaced by another female, this one much shorter and had extremely long, wavy black hair.

"So, you wish to understand the emotions of others?" the new girl inquired quite plainly.

Eiko was a bit taken aback by this. "How...? I-I mean, yeah, I, uh... I guess so."

This even more mysterious person nodded simply like the last girl, and before Eiko could say anything more, her vision was swallowed up by black once again.

* * *

***Gomen means "sorry" in Japanese (just in case someone doesn't know)**

* * *

**A/N: The way this fanfic works is basically each chapter switches it main focus from Eiko, to Jitsumi, and back. This one is clearly focusing on Eiko, so the next one will show what happened to Jitsumi. Anyway, they won't meet the members of the Dan until later after their abilities are revealed (yes, they have abilities), so please be patient. Like always, I hope you enjoyed and thanks so much for reading!**

**Have a wonderful day/night/whatever~**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Not Much Better

Jitsumi wasn't faring much better in this strange place she had woken up in.

"Eiko! Eiko, are you there?" she called hopelessly out at the surrounding nothingness.

She collapsed in exhaustion, her legs tired from walking for so long and her throat aching from yelling out futile things like her friend's name.

"So, you're worried about your friend too?" a sweet, feminine voice inquired from behind her.

Jitsumi staggered to her feet in surprise and saw a girl with a red scarf billowing around her. _Strange, _Jitsumi thought, _there's not even a slight breeze here, so how is her scarf moving like that? _

"I-Is Eiko here?" she stuttered wearily.

"I'm sorry. I can't say," the girl in a black school uniform lowered her head with a tiny sympathetic smile.

"Oh," Jitsumi couldn't hide the disappointment in her voice, she didn't even try, though she was happy to at least see another human being.

"I'm sure you'll find her soon," the scarf-girl reassured her, trying to look as positive as she could in this forsaken world.

"Really?" Jitsumi perked up with a hopeful glint in her chocolate-brown eyes.

The mystery girl nodded with another slight smile that seemed out-of-place here. Not only did it look foreign, but it also looked forced and pained. Jitsumi wanted to say something to make this strange girl not so sad, but she had no idea why she was sad in the first place. _If only I knew why, _she thought with a frown. Just then, the unnamed girl gave a slight wave, turned to face the other way, and walked off.

"W-Wait!" Jitsumi called, though she couldn't get herself to move from this spot. She was just so tired...

"You wish to know about the tragedies of others, correct?" a new voice questioned, also coming from behind like the first one.

Jitsumi whirled around, more than a little surprised to see another girl who was shorter than the first. It took her a moment to come back to her senses and realize she had to come up with an answer. "W-Well, I guess that's one way to word it..."

"I see," the new female muttered mostly to herself.

Without another word, Jitsumi's world was enveloped in darkness just like before she had entered this strange place.

* * *

**A/N: Wow, it's been forever since I've updated this or posted anything honestly. It feels good to get back on Fanfiction, I really do enjoy all of my wonderful readers and supporters. I hope you liked this chapter, and as always...**

**Have an awesome day/night/whatever~**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Gleaming Red Eyes

"Ow, my head..." Eiko mumbled groggily as she sat up and rubbed her throbbing skull.

Once the blurriness had faded from her vision, she saw she was back in the strange lab she and Jitsumi had found. Speaking of which...

"Sumi! Sumi!" Eiko called out as she scrambled to get to her feet, tripping herself about five times in the process. She scanned the room, but couldn't find her friend. "Jitsumi! Jitsumi, where are you?!"

Just as she was about to run out the door to search for her best friend, the very same person she was looking for walked through the doorway.

"Keep your voice down, I don't want that weird guy to come back!" Jitsumi hissed.

Eiko sighed in relief and smiled despite the circumstances. "I was worried about you, Sumi. Especially when you let go of my arm, because I knew you'd never be brave enough to do that."

"Hey!" Jitsumi sounded and looked offended, but a moment later she shrugged simply. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

Eiko giggled softly to herself. "So, how about we get out of this creepy place?"

"I'm all for it, but I've been searching for the exit for close to twenty minutes now," Jitsumi replied.

"Eh? I was out that long?" Eiko questioned in surprise.

"Yep. I tried to wake you up, but you wouldn't," Jitsumi explained. Then, she muttered inaudibly, "I thought you were dead..."

"Hmm?" Eiko hummed in a questioning way.

"Ahah, nothing, Eiko-chan! I was just a little worried, that's all," Jitsumi somewhat-lied.

It was just then that the two girls noticed each other's... peculiar eye colors.

"Oh my god, your eyes are red!" they both yelled at the same time, pointing to each other with wide eyes.

It was true, Jitsumi's typically chocolate-brown eyes were a bright red color, and Eiko's naturally hazel ones were now the same red hue.

"Wh-Why are they like this?!" Eiko asked with fear in her voice.

"I don't know!" Jitsumi exclaimed as she covered her eyes with her hands.

Eiko took a deep, albeit a bit shaky, breath to calm herself (which proved to be slightly ineffective). "Okay, we... we just need to stay calm. We'll figure this out, right? Right?"

"Are they going to be red forever?!" Jitsumi practically shouted her question.

"Sumi..." Eiko began.

"What am I supposed to tell my parents? I have _red eyes_!" Jitsumi continued to rant.

"Sumi," Eiko was beginning to get annoyed by her friend.

"Why are they even red?! Why not a more normal color?! Like... purple!" Jitsumi rambled even more.

"Sumi!" Eiko shouted.

Jitsumi stared at her best friend in surprise, not really expecting Eiko to yell at her.

"We need to stay calm! Or, at least, as calm as we can," Eiko stated, though her feeble voice gave away her own fear.

"Stop acting like you're tougher than you actually are, it's not good for you," Jitsumi berated her somewhat bluntly.

"Well, if I panic too we're never going to get anywhere!" Eiko snapped.

Jitsumi was quiet for a few moments. She knew her friend was right, it seemed like Eiko was always right or had some kind of point, but she still wished Eiko wouldn't keep her fears to herself for her sake.

"Let's just get out of here," Jitsumi said softly before exiting the room.

Eiko watched her companion leave, yet she merely stood there with a pang of guilt. _Was I too harsh on her, _she wondered. With a sigh, she exited the room as well and soon caught up to Jitsumi.

"Hey, Sumi-"

"You don't have to tell me I'm overreacting, I already know that," Jitsumi interrupted bitterly.

"I wasn't going to say that," Eiko objected with a frown. "I wanted to apologize for yelling at you. Both times."

"It's fine..." Jitsumi mumbled.

Eiko didn't know why, but she somehow knew that Jitsumi was still terrified of their discovery, and also that she was still upset from the interactions that previously occurred. Though, oddly enough, Eiko could feel these emotions as if they were her own bubbling up inside her.

"You're lying, it's not fine," Eiko pointed out firmly.

"How do you know?" Jitsumi asked skeptically.

"I'm not sure... but you're scared out of your mind, to the point that you want scream, right?" Eiko responded.

Jitsumi was a little taken aback by this, but tried not to show it; she said nothing.

"I think this has something to do with my eyes. I mean, before they were red I could never figure out how people felt unless it was completely obvious, but now it's really clear to me. I can even feel how you feel right now," Eiko continued.

"Wow, really?" Jitsumi inquired.

Eiko nodded with a half-smile.

"I wonder what my eyes can do!" Jitsumi chirped in a childish way, tapping the place beside her right eye thoughtfully.

"We'll just have to wait and see," Eiko commented.

After what seemed like forever (but was probably close to ten minutes) the two girls located the staircase they had come down. They bounded up the steps, never looking back... and never noticing the pair of glinting red eyes watching them go.

* * *

**A/N: And Eiko's power is revealed! Hmm... what will Jitsumi's ability be? I guess you'll have to keep reading to find out~ ;)**

**Have a wonderful day/night/whatever~**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: If It'll Block The Gazes

Jitsumi now led the way as she searched for her parents, who seemed to have left the school.

"That's weird..." she muttered to herself.

"Maybe they assumed you were going to hang out with me at my house," Eiko suggested hopefully, unable to push away her own nagging sense of doubt.

Jitsumi shook her head with a sigh. "I don't think so... but maybe you're right. Anyway, let's just head back to your house and see if they try to call me."

The duo of best friends exited the school and strolled along the sidewalk. It was starting to get late, so many people were on their way home, making the streets crowded and hard to navigate through. Jitsumi glanced over at Eiko, who was unusually quiet.

"Hey, Eiko, are you okay?" Jitsumi questioned.

"I-I'm fine... There's just so many people..." Eiko trailed off and rubbed her eyes with discomfort.

"Is something wrong?" Jitsumi asked, now concerned. "Crowds don't typically bother you."

"My eyes..." Eiko mumbled wearily.

Now Jitsumi understood; Eiko's new-found ability was acting up and was most likely overwhelming her with emotions. Yet, no matter how much she wanted to, Jitsumi couldn't do a thing to help. Well, maybe...

"C'mon, Eiko," she suddenly blurted and grabbed said girl's wrist, dragging her off toward the line of shops among the streets.

"Where are we going?" Eiko inquired with curiosity.

"I have an idea," Jitsumi replied simply.

She led them to a clothing store with reasonable prices, all while trying to remember how much money she had with her.

"Alright, here's my plan," Jitsumi began while letting go of her friend. "Maybe if we get something to block your eyes a bit, like a hoodie or something, then you might be able to get through the crowds!"

Eiko smiled faintly. "Arigato, Sumi."

"No need to thank me," Jitsumi waved offhandedly. Then, she clapped her hands together before pointing toward the racks of various clothing. "Now, go find something and we'll meet back here by the front desk!"

Eiko nodded in compliance, scurried around the store, and sifted through the different racks. It must've been a while, because by the time she settled on a suitable outfit it was already dusk. Eiko approached Jitsumi (who was waiting by the front desk just like she said), both girls with clothes in their arms.

"You got stuff too?" Eiko questioned as she set her outfit on the counter.

"What, you thought you were the only one getting a new look?" Jitsumi joked, doing the same thing with her outfit of choice before paying for both.

Surprisingly, she still had some money to spare. They both agreed to change into their new clothes, and whoever got done first would wait for the other. So, they went into the dressing rooms to do as they planned.

Eiko exchanged her casual outfit of before for a simple gray pullover, lime green pleated skirt, and gray high-tops with lime green designs. She decided to leave the criss-crossed black bobby-pins that held back the left side of her fringe just for some accessories.

Jitsumi, on the other hand, was now clad in a scarlet and creme striped hooded tank top, black leggings with short jean shorts on top, and scarlet sneakers.

When the two girls met up once again, they smiled at each other's newest looks.

"Those clothes suit you, Sumi," Eiko complimented.

"Thanks. You look pretty good yourself, Eiko," Jitsumi responded.

They laughed a bit, then left the shop. Jitsumi's plan wasn't a total success, for Eiko still felt a bit woozy from all the mixing emotions, yet it did help to ease things a little. The duo continued walking as the sky dimmed significantly, now promising that they wouldn't make it home before dark.

"My parents are going to kill me," Eiko groaned, tugging at her hood.

"You think you have problems, what about my parents? They don't even know I left," Jitsumi retorted.

"Yeah..." Eiko chuckled lowly at their misfortune, but she looked away from her friend as she did so. "Hey, Sumi?"

"Yeah?"

"Something's been bothering me ever since I woke up in that place..."

"What is it, Eiko?"

Eiko lowered her head to hide her worried expression. "What happened to us?"

And so, under the blinking lights of street lamps, two friends pondered over what had been their crude fate.

* * *

**A/N: I really like this story, so I hope you all do too. I have some interesting things planned for later chapters, and yes I know, it _is _taking them forever to meet the gang. But don't worry, it'll happen soon enough. ;)**

**Have a wonderful day/night/whatever~**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: An Unfolding Tragedy

They were no longer walking after they had realized something: they had both had dreams about that strange place refered to as the "Heat Haze", and they had both seen the same girls in their dreams.

"What if something truly bad happened?" Eiko began with worry. "What if we were out for days? Or.. what if..."

"Eiko?" Jitsumi mumbled softly.

"Yes?" Eiko responded.

"I don't know why... but I think we died," Jitsumi continued.

"What? Don't be ridiculous, Sumi! We couldn't have died, we're alive and breathing right now!" Eiko exclaimed.

"But think about it, Eiko!" Jitsumi practically yelled. "That weird world, the girl with the red scarf, what she said to us, and the person who wanted to know what we wished for... It makes sense, doesn't it?"

Eiko was silent. She had no idea how to respond to something like that, simply no words would form in her temporarily dysfunctional mouth.

"You think I'm crazy, don't you?" Jitsumi muttered.

"I always think you're crazy, but that's why we're friends," Eiko replied once she found her voice. She placed a hand gently on Jitsumi's shoulder and gave her a reassuring, albeit a little forced, smile. "Don't worry, we'll figure this whole mess out, but we did not die, alright? Don't say things like that."

Jitsumi nodded. "Gomen, Eiko-chan..."

"No need for apologies. Now, let's keep going," Eiko stated.

Jitsumi nodded, and they continued making their way through the dimly lit streets. They walked in comfortable silence, all while their minds were racing with similar thoughts of "what now". Suddenly, Jitsumi spotted something out of the corner of her eye, and -without a moment to spare- she held out her arm to stop Eiko from walking any further.

"Sumi, wha-"

But she never got to finish her sentence, for a truck sped past them, not even three feet from where they were. Had they not noticed it in time...

"That was close," Jitsumi sighed.

Just then, they heard an ear-splitting scream, the screeching of brakes, a loud _thump _of two objects colliding, then only silence. All it took was for the two girls to exchange worried glances before they were sprinting toward where the sounds had resonated from. When they arrived at the source, it took everything in them not to scream at the scene in front of them. It appeared that there had been some sort of accident involving the truck from before and a young girl who looked about their age, with a boy no older than her standing in stunned silence with eyes wide with tears and pure shock.

"What happened?" Jitsumi breathed quietly.

Eiko shook her head then hurried over to the boy. "Are you alright? What happened here?"

The boy never looked away from the tragedy in front of him, and he only uttered a single, quivering word. "Hiyori..."

* * *

**A/N: OMG WE'RE FINALLY MEETING A KAGEPRO CHARACTER YAAAYYYYY~ It definitely took long enough, but hopefully the wait was worth it. Trust me, next chapter we will be dealing with a very upset Hibiya Amamiya. Yes, we will. *nods as I type***

**Have a wonderful day/night/whatever~**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven: A Relentless Chase

"Sumi, do you have your phone with you?" Eiko asked, glancing over her shoulder at her friend.

Jitsumi shook her head sadly. "No, I don't. I was hoping you brought yours."

"Mine's at home..." Eiko muttered. She turned back to the boy, who she wished to do something for. "Um, so, what did happen?"

"That damn cat..." the boy grumbled angrily while clenching his fists.

"A cat?" Jitsumi repeated, joining the two at the edge of the crosswalk, which was hard to see in the darkness.

When the boy said nothing, Eiko decided to try again.

"Hey, um-"

"Amamiya. Hibiya Amamiya," he grumbled under his breath, just barely loud enough to be heard.

"Amamiya-san, can you please tell us what happened? Maybe we can help," Eiko repeated her question for the third time.

"How could you help?!" the boy, Hibiya, snapped at her with hot tears of anger and despair running down his face.

Eiko recoiled back in surprise, and suddenly her eyes glinted red in the moonlight. She could now feel every ounce of his pain and sorrow, it was so sickening that she felt like crying herself. Hibiya didn't seem to notice her eyes turning red, for he was already focused again on the girl sprawled out on the pavement.

"Amamiya-san, my friend here is trying to be kind and helpful, so it wouldn't hurt you to be a little nicer to her," Jitsumi berated him, feeling pretty fed-up with his attitude.

Though, the only response she got was a look from Eiko saying "now's not the time". With a sigh, Jitsumi left things as they were and turned to face the surely-dead girl instead.

"I don't know why we're asking what happened, obviously she got hit by this truck. I guess the only question is how," Jitsumi commented.

"You have a point..." Eiko added lowly.

"Just leave me alone," Hibiya muttered without looking at them.

"But-"

"I said leave me alone!" he shouted.

Eiko pulled her hood lower over her face and turned away without another word. It took Jitsumi a moment to realize that she had run off.

"Eiko! Eiko, wait!" she called after her. Jitsumi started to follow her best friend, but before she did she shot Hibiya a look of disdain. "So, this is what she gets for trying to help? What a shame..." And with that, she dashed off in the direction Eiko had gone.

It was a futile chase, for Eiko had always been the fastest out of the two, and she had more endurance than Jitsumi. _Ugh, maybe I should've tried harder in that gym class, _Jitsumi thought to herself in annoyance.

"Eiko, stop!" she yelled, but it seemed like her friend hadn't heard her.

Footsteps echoed through the otherwise soundless streets as the two girls ran, and it wasn't long before Jitsumi's breaths became short and uneven. Finally, with one last faint call of her friend's name, she stopped running. She panted as her hands grasped her knees in a hunched over posture.

"Dang it, Eiko..." Jitsumi muttered to herself once she caught her breath.

She gazed in the direction she had been running in, and, with a sigh, started up her chase again.

* * *

**A/N: Well, I'm back after like what? 3 months? Wow, it's been a while. Anyway, I decided I'm going to upload a few chapters for this story since I have a lot prewritten, because I don't really know when I'll update again. I don't really have a schedule for updating, I just kind of do it randomly.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight: Chance Encounters

Eiko just couldn't be around that boy any longer, the sorrow emitting from him was killing her. So, that's why she was currently dashing through the dimly-lit streets of the city. She couldn't really see much in the darkness, and she had no idea where she was going. Honestly, it was no surprise when she collided with someone head-on. Eiko bounced back from the force and hit the back of her head on the concrete, but the person she had run into only seemed a little confused and didn't even budge.

"Ow..." Eiko mumbled, rubbing her head in a bit of a daze.

"Hmm? Ah, gomen, Miss," a monotone voice apologized quietly.

The owner of the voice, who Eiko could now see was a very tall (and strange looking) boy with white hair, reached out a hand to help her up. Eiko accepted the gesture, and was soon pulled to her feet. She could hear a couple of snickers coming from a blonde boy standing near the white-haired one.

"S-Sorry about that, I wasn't paying attention," Eiko quickly apologized with a light embarrassed blush tinting her cheeks. Then, she remembered the scene she had abandoned a few minutes ago. "Can you help me with something? The thing is, there was an accident a few blocks down involving a boy and a girl-"

"A boy and a girl?" the white-haired stranger repeated, cutting her off mid-sentence.

"Ah, you see, my friend here is looking for a boy and a girl," the blonde boy explained for his friend.

"Oh, I see..." Eiko bit her bottom lip and looked down to her feet.

"Do you know where they are?" the white-haired boy asked in the same monotone voice that seemed to be filled with curiosity.

Eiko nodded slowly, very reluctant to tell him the truth.

"Ah, can you lead us to them?" the blonde questioned.

"Um, y-yeah, I guess... but, may I ask just who you two are?" Eiko responded.

"I'm Kano, and this here is Konoha," the blonde stranger, now known as Kano, introduced them and gestured to his companion.

"I'm Eiko," the young brunette added. "Your friends are, uh, this way."

Eiko turned back to where she had come from and began leading the two boys (who were appeared to be a good few years older than her) back to the scene of the accident. She could only imagine how awful their reactions would be...

* * *

**A/N: oH MY GOD WE FINALLY GET TO MEET SOME MORE ACTUAL KAGEPRO CHARACTERS. Jesus that took forever, especially for you guys. Now the story can actually progress and not just be my OCs running around like idiots. Also, I just realized how ridiculously short some of these chapters are. I think they'll get longer later... maybe.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: No Traces Of Anything

"Eiko! Eiko!" Jitsumi called repeatedly, yet recieved no response. She sighed in exasperation. "God, where are you?"

She was sick of running, so instead she was walking along the pavement as the sky continued to darken. She narrowed her eyes into a squint, and could faintly make out the moon among the clouds. The stars glinted like diamonds dusted over a blue velvet sky, even though they were partially blocked by the wispy clouds strewn about. Jitsumi let out another faint sigh. _Where could Eiko be, _she wondered. Worry started to bubble up inside of her, for she hadn't seen her friend since she disappeared down the street. Honestly, she had no idea which direction Eiko had headed. Jitsumi sat down on a nearby bench in defeat and rested her aching legs. Just as she was about to make the decision to go home without Eiko, a famliar voice broke through the silence.

"Sumi! Hey, Sumi!" Eiko waved to her from across the street.

Jitsumi leapt to her feet and rushed over to Eiko with a furious expression.

"You can't just run off like that, Eiko! I was worried sick and I kept chasing you until I couldn't even see you anymore!" she scolded her best friend.

"G-Gomen, but..." Eiko trailed off and glanced at the two boys standing a few feet behind her. "I ran into these people... and they're looking for that boy and girl we saw earlier."

"Oh," Jitsumi's expression instantly changed to a softer one upon hearing this.

Both girls felt sympathetic for these people, though there really was nothing they could've done. So, after Eiko introduced the two strangers to Jitsumi, the group of four continued on their way to the scene of the accident. Yet, when they got there they were met with an entirely different sight. There was no evidence that there had ever been an accident, and even that girl -Hiyori, was it?- was gone. The only thing left from before was Hibiya, who was now unconscious on the side of the street.

"How...?" Eiko breathed confusedly.

Konoha went over to Hibiya and picked him up, carrying the young boy on his side with one arm. Konoha gave a faint hint of a smile, signifying relief.

"Well, all we need to do is find that Hiyori girl," Kano commented airily.

"But-"

Eiko silenced her friend by placing a hand over her mouth and shaking her head as if to say "don't". Jitsumi nodded slightly, and Eiko lowered her hand down to her side.

"Poor Hibiya," Eiko muttered mostly to herself. She felt incredibly bad for these people she had just met, and, as they were walking away, she suddenly blurted, "How about we help you look for your friend?"

Kano looked over his shoulder at her with a slight chuckle. "Do you really want to hang out with us that badly, kid?"

"No, I just... feel concerned, that's all. And besides, I'm not a kid!" Eiko replied, pouting a bit at the end.

Kano shrugged nonchalantly. "Fine, then. The more the merrier."

Eiko nodded with a tiny smile, and she tugged on Jitsumi's hood as a signal for her to come as well. The two young girls bounded over to Kano and Konoha, and the quartet (plus one unconscious Hibiya) began their futile search through the city.

* * *

**A/N: I'm starting to get really off track with these author's note thingys. I like writing them (I like writing them A LOT for some reason) but I literally have nothing to say. I guess I can just admit that I have no excuse for not updating anything except for the fact that I can never get my lazy butt to do it. Hmm... I should probably work on that. Probably.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten: Unwanted Attention

"How long are we going to pretend that we don't know what happened to Hiyori?" Jitsumi whispered to her best friend.

"The thing is, we really _don't _know what happened to her. She should've been on the street still, but it's almost like she just disappeared into thin air. And Hibiya..." Eiko trailed off in an equally quiet voice. "I wonder what happened to him."

"What are you two talking about?" Kano asked, suddenly appearing behind them.

Jitsumi and Eiko let out exclamations of surprise and nearly jumped three feet in the air. Eiko quickly turned to him and waved her arms in a defensive way with a nervous laugh.

"Ahaha, nothing, Kano-kun! We were just talking about where we think Hiyori might be!" she lied.

Kano waved his finger at her, a disapproving look on his face. "Tsk, tsk, you don't possibly think you can deceive the deceiver, do you? And besides, I told you to skip the honorifics, kid."

"Eh?" Eiko could only make a sound of confusion.

What did he mean by "deceive the deceiver"?

"Why do you call Eiko 'kid'?" Jitsumi inquired to change the subject.

"Because she is a child, silly," Kano answered matter-of-factly.

"Hey, I'm not silly!" Jitsumi argued.

"I don't know, you do act pretty silly sometimes," Eiko objected thoughtfully.

"Eiko!" Jitsumi whined. "You're not helping!"

Kano chuckled at the girls' behavior, while Konoha only blinked in confusion. Just then, a unknown voice broke up this somewhat bonding moment.

"Drop the boy, now."

All four of them turned to see an orange-haired girl glaring daggers at them.

Jitsumi looked at her with bewilderment. "Eh?"

"I said, drop him!" the new girl repeated loudly, anger clearly written on her face.

"I'm sorry, but we can't do that," Kano replied simply.

The orange-haired girl gritted her teeth in frustration and clenched her fists.

"Um, K-Kano, does she know Hibiya?" Eiko asked tentatively.

Kano shrugged, before the orange-haired girl gave her own reply.

"Yes, I do," she answered coldly. "Now, put him down!"

Suddenly, any other person who was nearby had their attention drawn to the group. Kano merely smirked at this, and at the girl herself, while the others were confused as to why this was happening. The surrounding crowd that had now formed uttered things like "Is that Momo-chan?" or "Wow, she's even cuter in person.", but the orange-haired girl (presumably Momo) ignored them and glared daggers at the quartet that held the unconscious Hibiya.

"M-Maybe we should just do as she says," Jitsumi suggested.

This weird girl was honestly scaring her, especially with those red eyes... Jitsumi gasped and turned to Eiko.

"Eiko, look at her eyes! They're just like ours!" she whisper-yelled to her best friend.

Eiko looked at Momo's eyes which, sure enough, were glinting a bright red. "You're right, Sumi..."

"I'm afraid we can't do that, because we have direct orders from our leader, who can be preeetty scary when she gets mad," Kano mused.

Just then, Hibiya woke up, and was clearly not happy.

"Let go of me!" he yelled, struggling out of Konoha's grasp and landing on the ground with a _thump_.

"Hibiya!" Momo exclaimed.

"Well, this could have gone better," Kano muttered.

Konoha looked down at Hibiya with a blank expression. "Let's head back, Hibiya."

"Like hell I'd go with you," Hibiya replied curtly.

Momo took this as her cue to grab Hibiya's wrist, yank him to his feet, and run off with him tightly in her grasp.

"O-Oba-san!?" Hibiya exclaimed confusedly.

"No time to explain, let's go!" Momo responded.

"Wh-What? What's going on?!" Hibiya questioned, but received no answer.

That was the last the quartet heard of him before he and Momo disappeared around a street corner. The crowd around the bewildered group chased after the runaway duo, shouting things like "Who's that kid?" and "Let's go after them!".

"Ah, there they go," Kano commented rather bluntly.

Eiko glanced over at Konoha, who looked quite upset by this and even had a few tears forming in his eyes.

"B-But we finally found him..." he uttered sadly.

"Eh? K-Konoha-san, please don't cry! We'll get Hibiya-san back, I promise!" Eiko tried to reassure him.

Jitsumi nudged her and gave her a look that said "seriously, stop making promises". Eiko sent her friend a pointed look, though she supposed her compassion could be irritating to someone who was forced into these situations. Konoha seemed to feel a little better after hearing this, for he sent Eiko a very faint, gentle smile.

"I have to admit, Eiko-chan, your determination is a bit admirable," Kano mused.

"I think it's just impulsiveness," Jitsumi muttered under her breath.

Eiko gave a slightly nervous laugh. "I'm just trying to be considerate. It's nothing, really." Then, she added jokingly, "Hey, that's the first time you've called me by my real name instead of 'kid'."

"Ah! I forgot about that!" Kano chirped. "Thanks for reminding me, kid~"

Eiko sighed. "I should've known..."

* * *

**A/N: Well, after like three months (I think) of not posting anything, I'm back! This chapter's pretty short, so I might post another one tonight since I have like 20 chapters pre-written. (I know, I'm sorry, please don't be mad at me)**

**Anyway, have a nice day/night/whatever.**

**(It's 2:30 in the morning where I am right now, haha /shot)**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven: More Than Us

Jitsumi tugged lightly on Kano's sleeve with a sheepish expression. "Um, K-Kano-san?"

"Hmm?" Kano looked down at her.

"I'm starting to get tired..." Jitsumi continued timidly.

At that very moment, Eiko let out a rather loud yawn. "Yeah, me too. Maybe we should continue this in the morning."

The group had been walking around for quite a while now, but had of course found no trace of Hiyori or even that weird Momo girl who had taken Hibiya. Eiko looked over at Konoha, and suddenly her eyes glinted red in the pale moonlight, revealing to her the disappointment her new friend felt. Kano noticed her red eyes and had to admit he was a bit surprised.

"Ah, kid, I didn't realize you had an ability too," he commented airily.

"Eh? Ability?" Eiko gave him a puzzled look.

Kano pointed to her eyes, which still glowed a faint red. "Yes. Your eyes are quite strange, aren't they?"

Eiko pulled on her hood so it would cover more of her face as she lowered her head in shame and embarrassment.

"Though, I doubt they're as strange as mine~" Kano mused.

"You have red eyes too?" Jitsumi questioned with hopefulness.

"Mmhmm~" Kano nodded with a grin.

Eiko looked up at him. "So... me and Jitsumi aren't the only ones?"

"Ah, silly has an ability too?" Kano inquired bemusedly.

"Hai*," Jitsumi replied.

"Well then, I guess I'll introduce you to the rest of us," Kano stated.

"There's even more people like us?" Eiko asked, her now-hazel eyes wide.

"Yup~" Kano hummed.

Eiko grinned, glad to not be entirely different, while Jitsumi was simply relieved to have found someone who might be able to explain all of this.

"Sumi, this is great!" Eiko cheered. She turned to Kano with a bright smile. "Can you introduce us to the others? Please?"

Kano nodded with a slight chuckle. "Why, of course, kid!"

With that, Kano began leading the way, gesturing for the others to follow. Konoha took his place behind Kano, and Eiko grabbed Jitsumi's wrist before dragging her along. In her excitement, Eiko completely forgot that her parents were probably worried sick, though that didn't matter to her right now. At the moment, she wanted nothing more than meet the people with the strange red eyes that mirrored her own. _I hope they'll like me, _Eiko thought with a bit of worry, _ah, I know I'm not that interesting, but it'd be nice to become friends with people like me. We're all strange, aren't we? Oh well, there's really nothing I can do about that. _Eiko looked up at the moon with a small smile. Somehow, she knew that things would get better soon.

* * *

***Hai means "yes" in Japanese, just in case.**

* * *

**A/N: And here's your second chapter for the night. Wow, I've been really productive today. I typed up two one-shots, posted both of them on here, updated this, and started working on a fourth chapter for my other story Shining Castle Lights. Not sure when that'll be done, but hopefully it'll be soon. Oh well.**

**Have a nice day/night (now it's almost 3 AM where I am, oh god)/whatever~**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve: Meet The Members

"Welcome to the base of the Mekakushi Dan~" Kano chimed as he threw open the door marked "107".

Eiko's eyes widened at the sight of the large room in front of her, and she grinned with excitement. "Oh, wow!"

She pulled Jitsumi inside, and the two boys followed suit shortly afterwards. As Eiko was exploring her new surroundings (and dragging a slightly reluctant Jitsumi with her) she found two other girls and another boy sitting in a room, and she immediately stopped in her tracks.

"Kano, who are these two? Surely they're not the ones you were searching for," the girl with green hair asked once said boy entered the room as well.

"We met these two girls while looking for the other kids, and they led us to Hibiya, who eventually got away. Turns out, they have abilities too," Kano explained airily.

"You let him escape?" the green-haired girl asked incredulously.

"Well, it was more like he was taken away," Kano replied. Then, seeing the girl's expression of puzzlement mixed with anger, he added, "But don't worry, we'll get him back."

"Kano, you said they have abilities?" a petite girl with extremely long creme-colored hair questioned quietly.

"Yes, Mary-chan~" Kano answered.

The petite girl, presumably Mary, looked over at Eiko and Jitsumi with curiosity. Eiko, realizing they had no idea who she and her friend were, gave a slight nervous laugh and waved at them with a tiny grin.

"H-Hi, everyone. I'm Eiko Fukuda," she introduced, a hint of awkwardness in her voice.

"I'm Jitsumi Anzai," Jitsumi piped up.

"Hi, Eiko-chan and Jitsumi-chan! My name's Seto!" the previously unknown boy, Seto, responded cheerily.

"I-I'm Mary K-Kozakura," Mary added.

"And I'm Kido," the green haired girl, now known as Kido, finished.

"So," Eiko rocked back and forth on her heels with her hands clasped behind her back. "What can you tell us about these... 'abilities'?"

Kido sighed and leaned back on the couch where she was sitting. "There's a lot to explain... Why don't you tell us how you got your abilities first?"

"Alright," Eiko nodded before glancing over at Jitsumi. "Well, it all kinda started at a school we were exploring..."

* * *

**A/N: What, an update that isn't after three months? Wow! O.O No, but seriously, this is like a new record for me. How this miracle happened was I've been writing more chapters for this story behind the scenes recently and I actually planned out an ending for it, meaning I'm almost done. I've never finished a story before, so I got excited and decided to post a chapter today so hopefully we can get to the end soon. It's still probably going to take forever but... oh well!**

**Have a nice day/night/whatever~**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen: Goodnight, Newcomers

Once Eiko and Jitsumi finished their story of how they received their unique eyes and how they ended up here, it was time for some explanations.

"So, you can't really remember what happened in the time between when you blacked out and when you woke up with red eyes?" Kido reflected.

"Yeah, it's fuzzy, like a really old memory or a dream," Eiko replied.

Kido nodded. "That's common. It's how all of us think of those moments in the Heat Haze."

"Heat Haze..." Jitsumi muttered to herself thoughtfully.

"It's that strange world you entered after nearly dying," Kano chimed in factually.

"But I have no idea _how _we nearly died," Jitsumi pointed out.

"Strange," Kido mumbled, deep in thought.

"Mary, why don't you get that book of yours to see what abilities they have?" Seto suggested.

"Okay," Mary complied before hurrying off to retrieve said book. When she get back with a decently sized book in her hands, she set it down on a table and skimmed through the pages. "From what they told us, I think Eiko has the 'Sensing Eyes'; the ability to feel the emotions of others. And for Jitsumi... I can't figure it out yet. We'll just have to wait and see."

"I see..." Kido trailed off in a pondering sort of tone.

Jitsumi yawned and rubbed her eyes groggily. The others noticed this, then glanced at the time. It was nearly midnight.

"How about you two stay here for tonight. We have an extra room, and in the morning we can work on figuring out Jitsumi's ability and how you both can control yours," Seto offered.

Eiko knew it wasn't exactly the best plan, but she had to admit she was exhausted, and sleep typically beat rationality.

"Sounds great," she agreed, a yawn threatening to escape her mouth as well.

"Mary, can you show them to a spare room?" Kido inquired.

Mary nodded. "Okay."

She began walking down a corridor, and the duo of newcomers quickly followed her. After walking through several hallways, the group stopped outside of a door that led into a room that was decent in size. The room contained a fairly large bed, a desk with a chair, a dresser with a mirror, and wide windows that were adorned with curtains that fluttered ever-so-slightly from the light breeze wafting through the room.

"Will this do? I can find another room if you'd prefer separate rooms," Mary questioned a bit fretfully.

Jitsumi waved offhandedly. "It's alright, Mary-chan."

She was honestly too tired to care, and besides, she had had so many sleepovers with Eiko she had lost count. Eiko was pretty much on the same page. The two best friends bid Mary goodnight, collapsed onto the bed, and weren't even there five seconds before they were fast asleep.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so, I have something to tell you guys. The reason I didn't update this story for so long is because I've been working on other things and have pretty much lost all inspiration for this. That's why I've decided to discontinue this story until further notice. Of course, I'm still going to post all the chapters I've already written, but after that there won't be any more. I'm not sure if there will be a day when I'll decide to pick this up again and continue, but usually once I drop a project it sits on my computer collecting dust forever. I hope no one is too disappointed...**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen: A Witness

_The sound of birds tweeting filled her ears, and Jitsumi looked around to observe her surroundings. She was standing in the middle of a forest, outside of a tiny cottage that seemed fit for one or possibly two. _What a cute little house, _she thought with a smile. Just then, the door to the cottage creaked slowly open, and out slipped a toddler who resembled someone Jitsumi had recently met. Yes, this surely was the younger version of Mary, but why was she here? Mary sat down in the grass with a giggle and began picking wildflowers in various colors. After she had collected a few handfuls, she started making a flower crown. _Aw, how adorable, _Jitsumi thought to herself. She decided to sit down beside the young Mary, who didn't even seem to notice. Nothing really happened for quite a while, with the only sounds being the songs of the birds which Mary happily hummed along to. Everything seemed to be just like a normal day, that is, until two boys who must've been somewhere around Jitsumi's age appeared._

_They went up to Mary and started torturing the poor girl by pulling her hair forcefully and doing other painful things. Mary cried and begged them to stop, yet the boys could care less. They only snickered at her pleas._

_"Hey! Leave her alone!" Jitsumi shouted, leaping to her feet furiously._

_The boys completely ignored her as well, and continued tormenting Mary. Jitsumi glared at them and attempted to push them away from the poor child, but she only went right through them, causing her to fall to the plush forest grass. _

_"What the...?" she muttered to herself._

_Jitsumi could do nothing except sit on the ground and watch helplessly as they continuously injured the younger version of her new friend. Jitsumi felt horrible, staring at Mary's crying face and listening to her desperate sobs. She squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears with her hands._

_"Stop," she managed out in a whisper. "Stop!" This time she spoke in a yell, though it still meant nothing. Her words merely faded into the air._

_Suddenly, another person rushed into the scene. This person was an older woman, who looked a bit like Mary but not enough to actually be her. This woman pulled Mary away from the two boys, but it seemed that they weren't finished yet. The boys continued trying to attack them, so the woman turned to face them with a deadly glare, her eyes glinting red and making contact with one of the boys. This boy completely froze in his place, as if he were turned to stone... _No way, could that be Mary's mother, _Jitsumi wondered, _they did mention that she's part medusa. _She resumed watching the events enfolded before her. _

_The boy who wasn't frozen rose a blunt wooden object above his head, intending to attack the now weakened mother. Jitsumi's eyes widened and, even though she knew it was a futile thing to do, she rushed over to the group._

_"Stop!" she yelled, reaching out a hand that could only do nothing._

_Yet (as she suspected) her efforts had no effect on anyone, and the remaining boy carried out his plan. The little Mary had more tears in her eyes and Jitsumi's heart throbbed painfully in her chest as they watched the older woman collapse onto the ground. Jitsumi buried her face in her hands and shook her head repeatedly. _No, I don't want to see this, _she thought, _this is horrible, I hate this! I don't want to see anymore!

* * *

**A/N: Going back to what I said in the last note, I'm going to be posting a few chapters at a time until there aren't any more left. I don't think I'll post all of them right now (because there's like 30 in total), but there won't be such a huge gap in between updates like there usually is. I think five at a time is enough, right?**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen: Good Friends

Eiko was sitting on the edge of the bed, fiddling with the hem of her skirt, when Jitsumi sat up abruptly and yelled out "Stop!". Eiko turned her head to look at her in surprise, and noticed that her friend appeared truly shaken.

"Sumi, what's wrong?" she asked with concern.

Jitsumi covered her eyes with her hands and let out a shuddering breath. "M-Mary..."

"What about Mary?" Eiko inquired.

"Did that really happen?" Jitsumi mumbled to herself, seemingly ignoring her companion.

"Sumi, did you have a bad dream or something?" Eiko questioned while scooting closer to her best friend.

"I-I don't know... It might've been a dream, but it seemed too... real," Jitsumi finally answered.

"Seemed too real?" Eiko echoed confusedly.

Jitsumi got up and headed toward the door. "I need to ask Mary about this..."

"Okay, I'll come with you," Eiko stated, following suit.

The two girls exited the room and made their way through the halls until they arrived back in the living room where they had met the others last night. Everyone else was already awake and were chatting idly with each other, and upon noticing the newcomers Seto shot them a bright smile.

"Good morning," he greeted them with his typical cheerfulness.

"Good morning," Eiko replied, but Jitsumi was silent.

The latter looked over at Mary and drew in a deep breath, the memories of the "dream" still fresh in her head. She hated to kill the carefree atmosphere that enveloped the room, but she just had to know if those events were true or not.

"Uh, Mary, can I talk to you for a bit?" Jitsumi asked a bit awkwardly.

Mary seemed a little confused, yet she nodded anyway and stood up from her seat. "Of course, Jitsumi-chan."

The two young members left the room, and once they were out of earshot Jitsumi said the things that had been bothering her ever since she woke up.

"Mary, last night I had some kind of dream, but it didn't seem like a dream. Everything was way too clear, and I can remember the events perfectly like they just happened right in front of me. Which, actually, was how the dream was. I was watching... things happen, and I had no impact on anything," Jitsumi explained.

Mary thought back to her book that contained descriptions of the different eye abilities, and she distinctly remembered a certain power working like that. "I think that's your ability, Jitsumi-chan. If I remember correctly, it's called the 'Reminiscing Eyes'; it allows you to see the memories of others."

Jitsumi took in a sharp intake of breath at this, confusing Mary once again.

"Um, Jitsumi-chan, I don't mean to be rude, but why did you ask me about this?" Mary questioned politely.

"Because... you were part of that dream. Or memory, I guess," Jitsumi replied.

"Really? What did you see?" Mary inquired curiously.

Jitsumi was silent for a few moments, that aching pain in her chest coming back. Empathy, is what the feeling was called. "It was a time when you were little. You were playing in the forest and... there were these two boys." Jitsumi didn't dare continue, for she knew this was enough.

Mary's reddish-pink eyes widened in surprise, and became a little watery. It was a painful memory.

"I'm so sorry, Mary-chan. It was awful, it truly was, and I'm so sorry," Jitsumi stated with sympathy in her voice.

"It's alright, Jitsumi-chan," Mary responded, though she was even quieter than usual.

"It's funny, now I feel like I know you better. Like we've known each other for more than just one night," Jitsumi mused.

Mary nodded. "Yes, it does seem that way, doesn't it?"

Jitsumi gave her a warm smile. "I hope we can become close friends, Mary-chan."

Mary returned the gesture, happy to make a new friend. "Me too, Jitsumi-chan."

* * *

**A/N: These chapters are really short... I guess that's what I get for letting these things sit in my computer for so long. This whole story seems really cheesy and kind of poorly written to me now, but maybe that's just me being critical of my work again. I remember I used to really like this story, actually. The characters were pretty fun to write for.**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen: It Doesn't Matter

"Ah! Sumi, I totally forgot that we never contacted our parents last night!" Eiko exclaimed while the group was just hanging out in the living room.

"Oh my god, you're right!" Jitsumi responded worriedly.

Eiko leapt to her feet, grabbed Jitsumi's wrist, then hurried over to the front door with her best friend in tow. She looked over her shoulder at the confused faces of the other Mekakushi Dan members. "Sorry about all this, we really enjoyed spending time with you guys, but we have to go now. See ya later, everyone!"

And with that, the two newcomers exited the base and dashed down the once again crowded city streets. They pulled their hoods up over their heads (especially Eiko, who still had no idea how to control her power) to avoid the gazes of strangers. Though, as they were passing by the police station Jitsumi heard someone saying "Still, I wonder where Hiyori could be." Jitsumi paused and tugged on Eiko's wrist to get her to stop as well.

"Sumi, what are you doing? Our parents are going to kill us!" Eiko inquired exasperatedly.

Jitsumi sighed (she knew this, of course) then she spotted the orange-haired girl -who she distinctly remembered being named Momo- from last night and approached her.

"Um, excuse me, but you're looking for Hiyori too?" Jitsumi began.

"Yes, do you know where she is?" Momo questioned hopefully.

Jitsumi shook her head sadly. "Sorry, I don't, but me and my friend are looking for her too."

"Yeah, and we'd love to help," Eiko piped up as she joined the group.

The boy in a red jacket who was accompanying Momo gave them a strange look, then shrugged it off. "I don't see how some extra help could hurt."

"Eiko, I thought you were worried about getting home," Jitsumi whispered to her friend.

Eiko waved this off airily. "We're already going to be in enough trouble, so why not prolong that by helping people out?"

"But-"

"Hey, don't question me," Eiko cut Jitsumi off.

Jitsumi rolled her eyes and muttered one last inaudible word on the subject. "Seriously?"

"Hey, aren't you two those girls from last night who were with the people that had Hibiya?" Momo inquired coolly.

"Yeah, but it doesn't matter who we help as long as Hiyori is found, right?" Eiko responded with a nervous laugh.

Momo seemed to consider this for a few moments, then she finally gave a slight nod. "Alright then... I'm Momo Kisaragi, and you two are?"

"I'm Eiko Fukuda, and this is my best friend Jitsumi Anzai," Eiko introduced them, gesturing to said girl.

"I'm Momo's older brother, Shintaro," the boy in the red jacket stated.

"Master, I wanna meet them!" a high-pitched voice exclaimed from his phone.

Shintaro sighed and handed the phone to Eiko, who took it hesitantly with a puzzled expression. Floating on the screen was a cute little cyber girl with blue pigtails.

"Hi, my name's Ene!" the cyber girl stated cheerily.

"Hi, Ene. It's, um, nice to meet you," Eiko responded, feeling a bit awkward for having never talked to someone _in _a cell phone before.

"It's nice to meet you too, Eiko-chan!" Ene replied with a grin.

"Wow, that's so cool! I've never seen an AI like that! She's so cute," Jitsumi commented with a curious glint in her chocolate brown eyes.

Ene beamed at the compliment. "Thank you, Jitsumi-chan! And I'm not just any AI, I'm the super pretty cyber girl Ene!"

"More like super annoying," Shintaro muttered under his breath.

"Master, that's not very nice!" Ene shouted at Shintaro.

_Huh, so she calls him "Master", _Eiko mentally noted. She handed the cell phone back to Shintaro, to which he sighed at.

"So, where should we begin searching?" Momo asked, getting the group back on track.

"Let's see... last night we mostly checked the east side of the city, where Hiyori was last seen. We didn't find a single trace of her, so maybe we should head to the downtown area," Eiko pointed out.

"Um, are you sure downtown is the best place to look?" Momo questioned. She looked pretty reluctant to go to a place that was even more crowded than their current area.

"Well, we didn't really check around there," Jitsumi replied.

Momo sighed, but it was soon replaced by a look of determination. "Alright, let's go."

As the group was walking, Jitsumi nudged Eiko and whispered, "How long can we keep pretending we don't know what happened?"

"Like I said before, we honestly don't. We never saw her get hit, and all traces of the accident were gone by the time we got back," Eiko pointed out, equally quiet.

Jitsumi nodded slightly, deep in thought. "I guess you have a point... but I still feel bad for searching for someone who could be dead."

Eiko looked away and focused instead on the throng of people nearby. _Maybe the real reason is that I don't want to hurt anyone, _she thought sadly, _I can't take it, feeling the pain of others. It's a selfish reason, really, but I don't want to feel loss ever again. It's so painful... _

"Eiko?" Jitsumi called while poking her best friend's arm.

"Hmm?" Eiko looked back at her with a somewhat weary smile.

"Are you okay? You zoned out for a while," Jitsumi inquired.

"I'm fine, Sumi! I'm just worried about Hiyori-chan," Eiko laughed nervously.

Jitsumi sighed, but said nothing else. Ahead of them, Shintaro looked over his shoulder at the two girls. Something about them seemed a little suspicious, though he couldn't quite figure out what. With a shrug, he turned his attention back to the city bathed in afternoon light, and the search for the missing girl.

* * *

**A/N: This chapter was actually written on November 2nd, 2014. It's February 16th, 2016 now. Says a lot about how often I update this, haha.**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen: Just A Bit Longer

Jitsumi reflected upon everything that had happened to her and Eiko so far as they walked through the city. She had woken up yesterday thinking it would be completely average, and the next thing she knew she had red eyes and joined a gang with similar traits. Plus, she never even contacted her parents after she had run off with Eiko, so who knows how much trouble she'll be in once she gets home?

"Eiko, you do know that we have to go home eventually, right?" Jitsumi questioned.

Eiko laughed nervously. "Yeah, I know, but..." She looked away, staring at her feet with a slight frown. "I just want to keep this up a little longer. Because..."

"Because what?" Jitsumi prompted, gesturing with her hands to continue.

"I'm afraid that if I leave for even a moment and return home, I'll never be able to see these people again," Eiko admitted a bit sadly.

"You can be so sentimental sometimes, I swear," Jitsumi sighed while crossing her arms over her chest.

"Let's stay with them for just a little longer, okay?" Eiko smiled in such a child-like nature that it was hard to argue with her.

"Alright, but I'm blaming you if I get grounded," Jitsumi joked.

Eiko looked ahead of her at Shintaro, Ene, and Momo, and for a moment Jitsumi thought she caught a glimpse of fondness twinkling in the young girl's hazel eyes.

"You're really getting attached to them, aren't you?" Jitsumi mused.

Eiko nodded slightly. "I guess so. But it's not just them, it's also the gang. Everyone we've met in these past two days are so... different from other people."

"Yeah, 'cause they've got glowing red eyes," Jitsumi pointed out, pointing to her own eyes with an amused smile.

"You've got a point there," Eiko responded.

The two girls giggled amongst themselves, remembering how strange it was to wake up with red eyes and finding their first reactions funny. Just then, Shintaro glanced over his shoulder at them with one eyebrow raised.

"What are you two laughing about?" he asked suspiciously.

"Just something funny that happened yesterday," Eiko replied breezily, still grinning.

"Ooh, a funny story? I wanna hear!" Ene chirped from inside of Shintaro's phone.

"Sorry, Ene, but this story is for us only," Jitsumi stated.

Ene pouted. "Aw, you guys are no fun."

Shintaro shook his head and let out an exasperated sigh. He turned his attention instead to his younger sister, who was becoming more and more frustrated with their unavailing search by the second.

"Ugh, this is hopeless! We've checked everywhere and Hiyori is nowhere to be seen!" Momo exclaimed, finally losing all patience.

She plopped down on a nearby bench with a groan and leaned her head against her propped up arm. Jitsumi glanced over at Eiko, who was silent and seemingly deep in thought. The chocolate-brown-eyed girl was about to ask her friend what was wrong, when suddenly Eiko snapped out of her dazed state and actually wore an angry expression.

"You can't give up just like that!" she shouted at Momo, surprising everyone else, especially the orange-haired girl.

"Huh?" Momo blinked in confusion.

"You can't give up yet! It's like you're abandoning your friend, leaving her all alone without knowing what's going on! Imagine if you were lost and afraid. You wouldn't want your friends to give up on you, would you? Even if you were somewhere really far away, you'd still want them to search for them, wouldn't you?" Eiko continued to fume.

"Yeah, I guess so..." Momo replied slowly, unsure of how to react.

Eiko's furious tone died down into a lower one and she averted her eyes to gaze instead at the crowded city streets. "Friends are supposed to look out for each other, aren't they? No matter where they are, no matter if they're separated, they still have to be there for each other. You could be in a bad situation yourself, but if your friend is also possibly in danger you worry about them first. You could be scared to death on the inside, but you still try your very best to find your friend before something bad can happen to them. That's how friendship works, right?"

"Eiko..." Jitsumi uttered softly.

Eiko veered her gaze back to Momo's stunned face with a determined glint in her eyes. "That's why you can't give up looking for Hiyori, Momo-chan."

The group was enveloped in silence, and even Ene was quiet after hearing Eiko's passionate words. Eiko, having just realized exactly how surprising her outburst was, blushed in embarrassment and stared down at the ground.

"Sorry, I just... couldn't let you abandon your friend when she needs you the most," she muttered timidly.

"No, you're right," Momo started as she stood up.

Eiko looked up at her and blinked.

"Friends need to stick together, so if it's not too much to ask, can you stick with us for just a bit longer?" Momo continued with a warm smile.

Eiko grinned back at her and nodded. "Yeah!"

Jitsumi and Shintaro both shook their heads, looked at each other, then gave small smiles as well. And just like that, a group of friends banded together.

* * *

**A/N: I'm not even reading over these to see if there's any mistakes anymore haha. Oh geez I'm lazy... Well, I guess this is the last chapter for this bundle of updates. See ya next time.**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen: A Reasonable Theory

Eiko sat on the cool grass with her knees pulled to her chest and gazed up at the stars. She was all by herself, which gave her time to actually think things over. She realized she had acted quite rash from the point when she entered that mysterious place at school to everything afterward, and she honestly wished she wasn't always so impulsive. She frowned as she played absentmindedly with a loose string on her hoodie. Though, had her actions been different she would've never met the Mekakushi Dan, the Kisaragi siblings, or Ene, and that was something definitely did not regret. With a sigh, Eiko fell backwards onto the grass so that she was now laying down on her back.

"Ugh, after a whole day on my feet searching for Hiyori with the Kisaragi's I'm exhausted," she groaned. She turned her head to look at the practically empty streets. "How long does it take to get two water bottles from a vending machine? I hope Sumi gets back soon..."

Just then, Eiko spotted the figure of a boy not too far away, and after squinting her eyes she could just barely make out that the person was actually Hibiya. Eiko scrambled to her feet, remembering her promise to Konoha that she would find Hibiya. She began to run toward the young boy who couldn't have been any older than she was and quickly caught up to him.

"Hibiya!" Eiko called and stopped a few feet away from him.

Hibiya looked over at her with disdain and no sign of recognition. "Who are you?"

"Hmm, I guess you don't remember me. Anyway, my name is Eiko Fukuda, I'm the girl that you spoke to last night and I was with those other people before Momo-chan took you away," Eiko explained.

"I don't remember talking to you," Hibiya stated bluntly.

"My friend and I were there at the sight of the accident right after it happened," Eiko continued in an attempt to refresh his memory.

"Accident? What are you talking about?" Hibiya questioned with one eyebrow raised.

"The one involving the truck," Eiko replied as if it were obvious.

"You're not making any sense," Hibiya said with a confused expression. He turned around, preparing to walk off. "Just leave me alone, I don't want to talk to you."

"Wait!" Eiko exclaimed, grabbing onto his wrist before he could leave.

They stared at each other for a few moments as silence enveloped the area. Once again, Eiko had acted without thinking.

"You seriously don't remember what happened last night?" she finally asked.

"No, not really. I remember hanging out with Hiyori in the park in the afternoon, then I woke up and I was being carried by Konoha at night. Now, can you let me go?" Hibiya responded curtly.

"Y-Yeah, sorry," Eiko apologized while quickly releasing her grip on Hibiya's arm.

Said boy turned around once again and walked away without another word, leaving Eiko to ponder over his words.

"He... can't remember anything..." she mumbled to herself, completely lost in thought.

In fact, she was so deeply caught up in her thoughts that she didn't even notice Jitsumi coming up behind her.

"There you are, Eiko!" Jitsumi sighed exasperatedly.

Eiko let out a panicked exclamation of surprise, successfully being snapped out of her trance. She whirled around, and upon seeing that it was only Jitsumi, she let out a nervous laugh.

"Oh, it's you. You scared me, Sumi," Eiko admitted sheepishly.

"Good. Now we're even," Jitsumi commented as she held out one of the two plastic water bottles she was carrying to her friend.

"Even? Even for what?" Eiko questioned confusedly, taking the offered bottle gratefully.

"For making me worry that you had been kidnapped while I was gone," Jitsumi answered.

"Oh, sorry. I just... had something I needed to do," Eiko looked back in the direction where Hibiya had disappeared.

"What did you need to do?" Jitsumi asked.

"I saw Hibiya while you were getting water, so I decided to talk to him. Apparently, he doesn't remember hardly anything from yesterday. Not even the accident involving Hiyori," Eiko replied.

"Really?" Jitsumi's eyes widened in surprise.

Eiko nodded before taking a sip of her water.

"Wow, that's really weird..." Jitsumi trailed off. Just then, she thought back to her companion's outburst that happened earlier that day. "Hey, Eiko, remember what you said to Momo today when she wanted to give up?"

"Mhmm," Eiko responded.

"Where did you even come up with that stuff?" Jitsumi continued.

Eiko smiled faintly. "I thought back to how in that short time we spent in the Heat Haze, we both were concerned about each other. Then I wondered if maybe Hiyori had somehow ended up in the Haze, and how she must've been scared if she was. Though, after talking to Hibiya just now and thinking back to the rules of the Haze that the gang described to us last night, I think that's where she actually might be."

"Well, I guess that would explain a lot," Jitsumi muttered mostly to herself. She looked up at Eiko. "But if that really is true, then how are we going to tell the gang and the Kisaragi's?"

Before Eiko could respond, a voice they had grown to know fairly well rang out.

"Tell us what?"

The two girls whirled around in surprise and saw Shintaro standing there.

"Sh-Shintaro-kun! What are you doing here?" Eiko asked panickedly.

"With all the chaos that has happened in the past two days I forgot to pick up food for my rabbit," he answered, holding up a bag of the aforementioned pet food.

"Oh," Eiko responded simply without the slightest clue of what else to say.

"So, what were you going to tell my sister and I?" Shintaro questioned once again.

The duo of best friends exchanged glances.

"Eiko, we can't hide it anymore," Jitsumi stated.

Eiko sighed in defeat. "I know..." She looked back at Shintaro and bit her lip. "I don't really know how to explain this, so can we wait until Momo-chan is here to hear this too?"

Shintaro paused to think for a moment, then he shook his head. "No, whatever you're hiding seems important. Come with me, that way you can tell Momo as well."

Shintaro began walking off, leaving the two girls with no choice but to follow him. Eiko stared at Shintaro's back and gulped nervously. _I hope you take this well, _she thought sadly, _because I can tell you now that this isn't good news._

* * *

**A/N: So here's another bundle of chapters for you all. I honestly kind of forgot I still had stuff to upload so that's why it's taken me so long...**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen: A Visit With The Kisaragi's

"... and that's my theory," Eiko concluded.

She and Jitsumi were currently sitting in the living room of the Kisaragi residence, and the Eiko had just finished explaining her thoughts on Hiyori being in the Heat Haze.

"So you're saying she's no longer in this world?" Momo questioned.

Eiko nodded. "Yeah, pretty much."

Momo stared down at her hands, which were clasped together in her lap. "So, that's why you said all that stuff to me earlier..."

"Don't feel so bad about it, Momo. I'm sure we'll be able to get Hiyori out of the Haze," Jitsumi attempted to cheer the orange-haired girl up.

"I guess you're right, but I'm still worried about her," Momo responded quietly.

"I know you are, and you also feel sad that you couldn't do anything to help, but I promise it'll be okay!" Eiko chimed reassuringly.

Momo looked over at her with slight surprise. "Is it that obvious how I feel about this?"

For just the briefest moment Eiko's expression turned to one of panic, yet it was gone so quickly that Momo couldn't even tell if she had actually seen the change or if she was just imagining things.

"I'm just really good at reading people, that's all," Eiko laughed nervously with a sheepish grin.

_There you go again, making promises and almost getting yourself in trouble, _Jitsumi thought to herself with a sigh. She looked around out of curiosity and her gaze landed on Shintaro's phone screen, which displayed a rather bored Ene.

"Shintaro, can I see Ene?" she asked.

"Sure," Shintaro replied plainly while handing her the phone.

Jitsumi's face visibly lit up as she observed the little cyber being. It was almost like watching a child with a new toy. Oh, wait...

"You sure do seem to like Ene," Momo commented.

Jitsumi nodded. "Yeah. I've never seen something like her before, it's really cool."

Ene wore a proud expression on her face. "Finally, some appreciation for the cyber girl!"

"How could anyone appreciate an annoying virus in their computer?" Shintaro grumbled.

"I heard that!" Ene exclaimed angrily, puffing her cheeks out in irritation.

"Where did you come from Ene?" Jitsumi asked.

"I'm not quite sure of that myself, actually," Ene admitted, her temper dying down again.

"I wish there was some way to find out... You're really interesting, you know," Jitsumi stated.

Eiko peered over her shoulder at the artificial person in the phone. "Yeah, she is pretty interesting. She acts just like a normal person."

"Now you like her too?" Shintaro almost couldn't believe someone as annoying as Ene could be liked so easily. It made him wonder why he didn't have friends. Wait, he was a hikiNEET that would trade human relations for the internet in a heartbeat, that's why.

"Um, Eiko-chan, Jitsumi-chan?" Momo started, catching the girls attention.

"Hmm?" the two aforementioned people responded simultaneously,

"Shouldn't you guys be heading home by now? I mean, it's getting pretty late," Momo continued.

"About that..." Jitsumi avoided the teen idol's gaze and focused again on Ene.

"We've kinda been avoiding that since yesterday," Eiko laughed nervously while rubbing the back of her neck. "You see, we haven't even spoken to our parents since yesterday morning, so we've been putting off going home for a while now."

"You can't just ignore them forever. They're probably worried sick," Shintaro pointed out.

"That's the thing, though. If they didn't care then we would've gone back ages ago. But now..." Eiko sighed and plopped down into the nearest chair. She was silent for a few moments, then she looked directly at the Kisaragi siblings. "I'm afraid that if I go home now, I'll never see the people that I've met in these past two days ever again. And I really, really want to spend more time with all of my new friends before I have to say goodbye."

Jitsumi looked up from the phone screen and veered her gaze to Eiko's saddened face. She sighed and set the phone (and Ene) down on the coffee table in front of her.

"I think Eiko's grown a little too attached to people way too quickly," she commented.

"No I haven't! I just..." Eiko paused to think of why exactly she didn't want to say goodbye just yet. Settling on a valid reason, she continued. "I've made a lot of promises, maybe too many, in a short period of time, and I intend to keep every single one of them. I will make everything better, I will help these people, and I will find Hiyori. I just need more time, that's all."

Shintaro couldn't help but smile faintly at Eiko's determination. In a way, the hazel-eyed-girl reminded him of a certain scarf-wearing girl who had bothered him during high school.

"So, if I got this correctly, you're avoiding going home because of the promises you've made?" Shintaro inquired.

Eiko nodded slightly. "Yeah." She paused to give them a warm smile. "Plus, I've actually had a lot of fun, despite all the chaos."

"Well..." Momo seemed to be contemplating something for a while before she grinned as well. "If that's the case, then let's have a sleepover!"

"What?" Shintaro exclaimed in surprise.

"Huh?" the two young girls said in unison.

"C'mon, it'll be fun and you won't have to go home yet," Momo continued.

"Sumi, let's do it!" Eiko was practically bouncing in her seat.

"What? We just met her today!" Jitsumi argued.

"You weren't complaining yesterday when we stayed with the Dan," Eiko pointed out with a slight smirk.

Jitsumi was silent for a moment, then she sighed. "Alright, alright, you got me. I guess a sleepover could be fun."

"Wait a second, Momo! You can't just invite them to stay here!" Shintaro objected to the idea.

Momo crossed her arms and pouted. "Ene, take care of this for me, okay?"

"Alrighty, Momo-chan~" Ene chirped, grinning sweetly on the older Kisaragi's phone screen. She looked at Shintaro with a mischievous glint in her cyan eyes, causing him to gulp nervously. "Master, you wouldn't want your secret folder to 'accidentally' be posted on the internet for everyone to see, now would you?"

Shintaro hung his head in defeat with a long sigh. "Fine, they can stay... but you better not make too much noise. And I swear to God, if either of you kids goes in my room I will kick you out of the house and you can sleep in the streets."

Eiko and Jitsumi exchanged glances as if rethinking their decision, then they both smiled with amusement.

"Of course. Whatever you say, Master~" Jitsumi responded mockingly, imitating Ene's voice relatively well.

Shintaro narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. After a moment, he stood up from his seat and walked towards the exit of the room.

"Whatever, I'm leaving. Have fun," Shintaro grumbled before disappearing through the doorway.

"I think we made him angry," Eiko commented once he was gone.

"Oh well," Momo shrugged. Then, she grinned. "Now, let's get this party started!"

* * *

**A/N: You know, I started this story a long time ago. The fact that it's still going (even if I'm no longer actively writing it) kind of impresses me.**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty: A Dream Of Something

_The wind blew harshly around her thin form as she stood alone. The selfish heart filled to the brim with desire beat inside of this girl, a girl who only smiled meekly at the world. _Funny, isn't it, _the voice in the back of her mind rang out, _you wish and wish until your dreams consume you, but you never gain anything. Foolish, right? _The girl hated this voice, despised it, and argued with every word spoken from the voice that resembled her own. "No" she said. "I don't" she said. "Please, stop saying such things" she pleaded. The disembodied voice, if possible, smirked at her. _Say whatever you like, child, but you cannot deny the truth, _it continued. The girl covered her ears, squeezing those unusual eyes shut tight. Repeating words like "Stop" and "Please" and "I don't want to hear anymore", it was such a pathetic thing that the voice couldn't help but snicker. It was mocking her, poking and prodding at a weakness she herself did not know of. _Your dream, tell me, what is it? _the voice asked in a taunting way, its tone full of dark amusement. The girl was silent as the words filled her mind and swam in circles until she felt dizzy. A dream of a reality without pain, fear, sadness, was that what she desired? A dream to be needed, the hero of the story, perhaps? She could not find her own voice to speak with, so the answer remained unknown, even after she had opened her eyes._

* * *

"Eiko?"

A voice, familiar and non-threatening, broke through her thoughts. Eiko looked over at Jitsumi, who was watching her with concern.

"Are you okay? You zoned out for like a whole five minutes," Jitsumi inquired.

"I did?" Eiko asked confusedly.

After her best friend nodded in reply, she stared down at her hands while almost non-existent tears pricked her eyes. _A dream... of a world without complication, _she thought to herself, _is possibly the answer? _Momo gazed at the young girl for a moment. She hadn't known Eiko for a while, not even a day really, but she could tell something was wrong.

"Eiko-chan, what were you thinking about?" Momo questioned.

Eiko hesitated, then she looked up and gave the teen idol a faint smile. "It's nothing really. Just a little homesick, that's all. Sorry if I worried you."

Ah, yes, this act again. Eiko was positive that she and the boy called Kano had at least this in common, though she didn't need a special power to lie and hide away.

"I wish you wouldn't lie so often," Jitsumi grumbled, practically inaudible, as she leaned back on her hands which propped her body up.

The three girls were all gathered in Momo's room for their sleepover and were currently discussing their dreams for the future. Apparently, Momo really hated her career as an idol, and Jitsumi wanted to do something exciting with her life, but Eiko had still not given her answer.

"So, anyway, what _do _you wanna do, Eiko-chan?" Momo repeated the question.

"Hmm... I haven't decided yet," Eiko finally replied.

"Fair enough," Momo shrugged.

"Sorry, I'm not really all that interesting," Eiko chuckled sheepishly.

"Hey, I probably wasn't interesting at all when I was your age," Momo commented thoughtfully. Then, she smiled and continued jokingly. "I'm still not very interesting."

"But you're the most well-known idol in the country, of course you're interesting!" Jitsumi objected.

"My fame is what people are interested in, but I myself am not what they want to know about," Momo responded with hints of bitter sadness in her voice.

The two younger girls were silent for a moment, and even the ever-encouraging Eiko was unsure of what to say. Thick silence enveloped the room until Jitsumi decided to break it.

"Ah, I can't take this silence anymore, it's killing me!" she exclaimed dramatically.

"Yeah, I agree," Momo agreed.

"I don't know about you two, but I'm exhausted," Eiko stated as she flopped onto her back on the plush carpeted ground that she was sitting on.

"Well, it has been a long day," Momo pointed out.

The two younger girls nodded in agreement, and with that all three of them got into their arranged sleeping spots and drifted off into blissful sleep.

* * *

**A/N: I remember this chapter. I wrote it while I was kind of upset, that's why the beginning is weird haha**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty One: Look Alike

_A small, cluttered classroom with two small desks in the middle and one larger desk at the far wall, that was Jitsumi's current location. She was confused at first, but she soon realized what was going on._

_"Ah, it's another one of those weird dream-memory things," she commented to herself._

_The classroom was empty, not even a teacher patiently (or maybe impatiently) awaiting the arrival of their students. There was absolutely no one._

_"What am I even doing here?" Jitsumi wondered aloud. She looked at the two smaller desks curiously. "And why are there just two desks here? Shouldn't there be mor-"_

_Suddenly, the door burst open, revealing a fuming black-haired girl with a boy in a green sweater behind her. The girl, Jitsumi noticed, was practically soaked._

_"I'm sorry, Takane! I didn't mean to spill my water on you! I really didn't!" the boy apologized, completely sincere._

_"Just shut up," the girl, presumably Takane, growled as she took a seat at one of the smaller desks._

_"But, Takane-"_

_"I said shut up already!" Takane shouted._

_The boy silently complied and sat down as well at the desk beside hers. Takane eyed the large desk in front of her, which presently lacked a teacher. She made an indignant noise, some kind of mix between a grunt and a snort._

_"I see our pathetic excuse of a teacher is absent again," Takane commented rather bluntly._

_Jitsumi snickered from her perch on the teacher's desk, where she had sat to watch the two students in front of her. She liked this Takane girl, whoever she was._

_"I'm sure he'll come later. He's probably just late," the boy, who Jitsumi still didn't know the name of, stated in an optimistic tone._

_Jitsumi looked around the teacher's desk to find some kind name list so she could properly identify these people, and, after a few minutes of searching, she found a roster that was most likely used for role call. Typed out in small font were only two names: Takane Enomoto and Haruka Kokonose._

_"Well, since that girl is Takane, that means that the boy is Haruka," Jitsumi muttered to herself._

_She didn't have to worry about them hearing her, she had learned this from the previous dream. Jitsumi shuddered just at the thought of it._

_"Takane, since Tateyama-sensei isn't here yet, why don't we play Dead Bullet together?" Haruka suggested cheerfully._

_Takane looked over at him in surprise. "You brought your laptop to school?"_

_"Yep!" Haruka chirped as he pulled said object out of his bag._

_"Why?" Takane was asking a question, but she sounded totally disinterested._

_"Because I thought it would be fun to play with you, Takane," Haruka smiled sweetly at her._

_Takane turned away from him, her face tinted with light pink. _

_"Hmm..." Haruka hummed thoughtfully. "Since we're going to play this game, I should probably call you Ene, right?"_

_Jitsumi's full attention was immediately drawn to Haruka's words, specifically the name she had grown quite familiar with._

_"Ene? He couldn't possibly mean the Ene I know... could he?" Jitsumi wondered._

_It was possible, since this was a memory. Did that mean that Ene was once a human being who went by the name of Takane Enomoto? Jitsumi wasn't entirely sure yet, so she would just have to keep watching._

_"D-Don't call me that, idiot!" Takane stammered, her face red most likely from embarrassment._

_"Why not? It's your name," Haruka tilted his head slightly in confusion._

_"'Ene' is just the stupid gaming handle I made up. It's not my name, and you're not supposed to call me that!" Takane explained._

_Haruka laughed a bit sheepishly. "I know but..." He fiddled with a loose string on his sweater, still smiling faintly. "I like the name Ene."_

_Takane crossed her arms over her chest, still avoiding his gaze and, yes, still blushing. "Whatever..."_

_Jitsumi stood up from where she had been sitting and walked over to Takane. _

_"If you dyed her hair bright blue she would look a lot like Ene," she mumbled to herself. "But Ene doesn't really act like this, though the stubborn part is pretty spot-on. If they really are the same person, then shouldn't they have the same personality?"_

_Jitsumi thought about this for a few moments, then she supposed that people do change and that maybe, just maybe, Ene had once been this pessimistic girl. The more Jitsumi thought about it, the more likely it became._

_"I wish you could tell me yourself, Takane-san," Jitsumi muttered. "It would make things a lot easier."_

_Just then, Jitsumi's surroundings began to slip away, and the two high school students faded as well. Jitsumi quickly realized that she was waking up, so she embraced the morning whole-heartedly by letting the people disappear, leaving her questions unanswered._

* * *

**A/N: And thus ends another round of updates. I'm not even sure if people still read this story, but that's fine. I might as well just continue posting the chapters I've got.**


End file.
